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Post by baileebrianne2573 on Aug 10, 2016 20:47:24 GMT
In chapter 10 of To Kill a Mocking Bird Atticus has to kill the "mad dog" Tim Johnson. The dog symbolizes racism and the case Atticus is about to take on. They say that the dog is as dangerous dead as it is alive and in a way this is directly related to the racism in the town. No matter what happens in the Robinson case, whether they win or lose, racism is still evident and dangerous in the town.
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Post by bennettspengler on Aug 11, 2016 1:13:59 GMT
I agree with you that the mad dog has a large amount of symbolism. Not only does the dog symbolize racism and Toms's case, it allows for part of Atticus's past to be revealed to the reader. When Atticus makes his shot at the dog, he kills it with one shot and one shot only. This amazes his children and they are told he was once know as "one-shot Finch," but he stopped shooting because he felt he had an unfair advantage over most people. This proves Atticus has always sought equality, and felt disgusted by greed and inequity.
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Post by avery young on Aug 11, 2016 2:46:01 GMT
I agree with both of you, although it seems important to note that the effects of the dog's presence resemble the effects of racism in the town. While it isn't likely to hurt you if you are able to avoid it, a stray bullet or a false step could hurt someone innocent. Plus, not everyone was able to avoid the dog. An unassuming person trying to walk home could have gotten hurt, as evidenced by Atticus' statement "you better get him before he goes down the side street. Lord knows whose around the corner" (Lee 126). Also, as far as the dog representing racism goes, the statement made by Heck Tate, "He's far from dead... he hasn't gotten started yet" (Lee 126) is probably the best idea supporting your case.
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Post by hayleycurrin on Aug 12, 2016 17:17:36 GMT
There is a lot of symbolism with Tim Johnson and I never thought that it was racism which is an interesting idea. I think that another idea for what Tim Johnson symbolizes is the change in Maycomb county. Tim Johnson was an establishment (they mentioned him always being around for as long as they could remember) and now that he went rabid, that is a big change. It's almost like the town. The people in Maycomb were going mad and turning against each other and it took Atticus to talk them off of many of the ledges they were on. Atticus was meant to quell the madness in Maycomb county. However, as Avery said, Heck Tate said once the that "He's far from dead...he hasn't gotten started yet" when Scout asked if he was dying. Acknowledging the madness of the town doesn't fix it. The racism and the anger won't just blow over. It was the beginning of several events in the story and even in history because if Scout thought that was madness, she still hadn't gone through WW11.
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Post by hayleycurrin on Aug 12, 2016 17:17:57 GMT
There is a lot of symbolism with Tim Johnson and I never thought that it was racism which is an interesting idea. I think that another idea for what Tim Johnson symbolizes is the change in Maycomb county. Tim Johnson was an establishment (they mentioned him always being around for as long as they could remember) and now that he went rabid, that is a big change. It's almost like the town. The people in Maycomb were going mad and turning against each other and it took Atticus to talk them off of many of the ledges they were on. Atticus was meant to quell the madness in Maycomb county. However, as Avery said, Heck Tate said once the that "He's far from dead...he hasn't gotten started yet" when Scout asked if he was dying. Acknowledging the madness of the town doesn't fix it. The racism and the anger won't just blow over. It was the beginning of several events in the story and even in history because if Scout thought that was madness, she still hadn't gone through WW11.
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Post by lenadunz on Aug 22, 2016 1:17:47 GMT
Atticus killing 'the mad dog' is definitely a symbol for racism. The dog is dangerous and it can hurt people. It can kill people. So can racism. Atticus shooting the dog does represent some foreshadowing in the case. Even if you kill the dog, it's just as dangerous dead, as alive. It would not matter if Atticus won the case because racism would still be there.
It's similar to Brave New World. Even if he won the case, the white people of the town would still find it wrong. They were taught that black people were below them and once something is learn, it can never be unlearned. Just like how in BNW, the people were taught that emotions were bad and relationships were worse. They could never get out of that mindset.
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